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These are busy times for Syracuse University’s Chase Guttman ’18, a Newhouse student who is adding one more honor to his already crowded trophy case.

This week, Guttman, who is already building his photography career with a growing list of awards (you can view some of his photography), will receive the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Storytelling and Exploration. This comes as he is studying abroad and authoring his first book on drone photography.

Chase Guttman
Photo by Shira Stoll

Guttman recently took a few moments to answer four questions regarding his present and future endeavors.

First, tell us more about your new book, and what you've been up to this semester.

I am currently studying abroad in Strasbourg, France, and so far, I’ve been to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Austria on this trip. However, I am most eager to travel to Portugal and Greece next.

I also recently authored and published a book titled “The Handbook of Drone Photography.” This is a very exciting book project as it’s one of the first books on the topic, already receiving accolades from Travel + Leisure, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail with The New York Post calling it “the most amazing drone photography.”

This week, you are being honored in the name of legendary TV anchor Walter Cronkite. How did this come to be?

I am extremely grateful to be receiving the 2017 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Storytelling and Exploration with my father—a man who has shaped my life in so many remarkable ways. This award is being given to me partially for this particular book project, but also for my ability to tell stories through “unique and innovative” means wherever I am in the world.

The craft of storytelling is constantly evolving and I am always working to stay on the cutting edge of my industry. I am incredibly thankful to have been honored for these efforts, whether it’s winning Young Travel Photographer of the Year three times, being named a 3 Best Travel Photography Blogger by USA Today or being called a Rising Star by Instagram.

We are hearing a lot lately about the potential for drones, including photography. What excites you most about this new technology?

As a travel photographer, I have always been fascinated by perspective and the power it holds in creating effective imagery. Drone technology owns the visual world that’s just out of the reach of the longest selfie stick and the lowest hovering helicopter.

Drones are such an exciting visual frontier because they allow humans to experience and see things that few have previously imagined—they can contextualize the world around us. This is what originally drew me to the medium and ultimately motivated me to write this book.

What does the future hold for you?

I hope to continue my work with drone technology after graduation in 2018. Drones are something I’m especially passionate about and I want to talk about the potential this technology holds, not just for storytelling, but for changing the world as well.

I’ve already had the wonderful opportunity to lecture about drones at B&H and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film and am slated to teach a drone photography course for the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and lead photography tours for the New York Photographers Society later this year. My goal is to create a drone business centered around consulting, lecturing and, of course, photography.